The Guardian has taken down an online review of a Channel 4 documentary concerning the events of October 7, which criticized the unfavorable depiction of Hamas militants.
The publication confirmed to Jewish News on Friday that it would not provide any further comments at this time. In his critique of "One Day in October," which illustrates the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri through CCTV footage, journalist Stuart Jeffries asserts that the documentary effectively vilifies Gazans, portraying them first as violent Hamas fighters and subsequently as unrepentant looters, stripping the kibbutz of its assets while the deceased lay in the streets and the living remained in terror. Jeffries further argues that the program fails to elucidate the motivations behind Hamas's actions against civilians.
In a statement to Jewish News, a representative for The Guardian indicated, “The article did not align with our editorial standards, and we have removed it for further review. The independent readers’ editor will address several concerns raised by our audience.”
Jeffries' remarks elicited immediate backlash. Dave Rich, director of policy at the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity dedicated to protecting British Jews from antisemitism, expressed on Twitter/X: “As if there’s something wrong with sympathizing with an Israeli child cowering in fear rather than the terrorists coming to kill her.” Photo by Bryantbob, Wikimedia commons.